Containers, such as bottles are often removably mounted on various structures to permit removal and refilling or replacement of the bottle and its contents. For example, in connection with processes used to manufacture semiconductor devices, bottles filled with additive gasses are removeably mounted on heads which are coupled with gas lines used to supply inert or reactive gasses to a processing chamber in which any of various types of processes such as PVD, CVD, etching, diffusion, ion implantation, etc. are carried out. Such containers often comprise a simple bottle formed of glass, for example, having a reduced diameter neck provided with a set of external threads. The threaded neck of the bottle is received within a threaded, female cylindrical opening of a processing equipment head, so that the bottle can be installed and removed simply by spinning it on or off of the head.
When the gas within has been nearly depleted, or the use of a different gas is required, then the bottle must be removed and either refilled or replaced. As with many threaded interconnections, installing the bottle too loosely can result in leakage past the threads, whereas over-tightening the bottle can make unscrewing it very difficult. When the bottle is screwed onto the head too tightly, and it becomes necessary to apply an inordinate amount of force or other techniques such as wrapping the bottle or head to loosen the threads, the impact or vibrations set up by these actions can sometimes dislodge minute, foreign particles resident within either the bottle or interior surfaces of the head. These foreign particles are often carried into the stream of gas flow and find their way into the processing chamber. Such foreign particles represent impurities that can be deposited onto semiconductor device substrates which damage or ruin the devices being manufactured, thus resulting in scrap and reduction of product yield.
In addition to the problem of introducing contaminants into the gas flow, and possible leakage of gas from the bottle, spin-on type gas bottles used in semiconductor manufacturing processes typically result in unnecessary long down time of the processing equipment, simply because of the additional time required to install and un-install the bottle properly.
Accordingly, there is a clear need in the art for an improved means of removably mounting bottle-like containers on process mounting heads which overcomes each of the deficiencies of the prior art mentioned above.